Ben MooreNetflixNetflix's reasonable price, large collection of TV shows and movies, and growing stable of critically acclaimed original content make it one of the best video streaming services to date.

Little to no information about changes to availability of content. Obtuse categorization can make content discovery difficult. Dearth of classic movies.

Bottom Line

Netflix's reasonable price, large collection of TV shows and movies, and growing stable of critically acclaimed original content make it one of the best video streaming services to date.

In the beginning, Netflix delivered movies on discs mailed to your house. Its fledgling streaming service only came later as a niche offering. Now, it's hard to imagine life without immediate access to Netflix's library of on-demand TV shows and movies. True, its collection of content changes like the weather, but Netflix offers a reliably solid core catalog—including critically acclaimed original programming—for a reasonable monthly price. Now, you can even download content for offline viewing on mobile platforms. For those reasons, Netflix is our Editors' Choice for video streaming services alongside Hulu and SlingTV.

What's in the Catalog?

Netflix has an extremely broad catalog, but it changes all the time. Shows available one day may be gone the next. It's difficult to state authoritatively what is in Netflix's catalog at any given moment, but that's all part of the fun, right? Innumerable third-party websites, including PCMag, offer articles with titles like Everything Coming to Netflix This Month, so that's one way to stay in the know.

The TV shows available on Netflix are season-complete, which isn't always the case for competitors. Hulu, for example, sometimes only has the most recent few episodes of a show, making it impossible to catch up if you fall too far behind. On the other hand, Netflix only adds shows a season at a time. This is great for binge-watching, but it also means that episodes can be as much as a year old by the time they reach the service. Amazon Video and Hulu both offer at least some of their shows within a day or two of broadcast, so you can at least be within striking distance of the cultural zeitgeist if you're a cable-cutter. Notably, Amazon Prime Video also started streaming live NFL games this past season. However, if you want a streaming service dedicated to streaming sports, fuboTV is your best option.

The growing library of original Netflix programming has quickly become a pop culture phenomenon in its own right. This impressive list includes shows like Altered Carbon, Black Mirror, Bojack Horseman, Narcos, Orange is the New Black, and Stranger Things, as well as Marvel's miniseries, such as Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Netflix also produces feature films, comedy specials, and documentaries, for those who are looking for something more self-contained. For example, Netflix recently premiered its original film, Bright, and was the first to stream Cloverfield: Paradox.

Being able to join the conversation about these programs, especially in the binge-watching media landscape Netflix helped foster, makes a subscription even more tempting. Hulu may have a stronger broadcast television lineup, but right now Netflix's exclusives are untouchable, and competitors are scrambling to keep up. Amazon Prime Video and Hulu have had some successes of their own, however, with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and The Handmaid's Tale, respectively, receiving considerable acclaim. Even CBS All Access has a lineup of original shows including Star Trek Discovery and The Good Fight.

Netflix and VPN

Note that Netflix's available catalog varies greatly by your locale and you may not be able to watch some shows at all, depending on which country you live in. We're looking at you Blue Planet II. Likewise, if you travel abroad, you may suddenly find that you can't continue watching certain shows. In some cases, you can rectify this with a virtual private network (VPN) service. Netflix has been working hard to block this method though, because of international content licensing deals.

For more details, make sure to check out our dedicated roundup of VPN services that worked with Netflix as of the time of our last testing. Note that a VPN that works with Netflix today may be blocked tomorrow, however, and that VPNs that are blocked one day may find a way around the barrier tomorrow.

Plans, Prices, and Value

Netflix recently raised its prices, but they are still reasonable. Right now, a $7.99 per month subscription to Netflix lets you watch unlimited hours of whatever movies and TV show you can find on the platform on one screen at a time in SD quality. The middle-tier plan costs $10.99 per month (up from $9.99), and it allows HD streaming to two screens simultaneously. For families or groups of friends looking to share accounts, the $13.99 (up from $11.99) four-screen plan might be a more feasible option. This highest tier also offers HD streaming and unlocks Ultra HD (4K) where available. Netflix is also reportedly testing an Ultra plan for $16.99 per month with HDR video, HD audio, and four concurrent streams.

On another note, Netflix presents all of its content ad-free, with the exception of its in-house previews of content that it implements across most platforms. HBO Now and Amazon Prime Video advertise their original content in a similar manner. Note that Hulu's paid plans include commercials—even, in some cases, if you pay extra for supposedly commercial-free viewing. For comparison, Hulu charges $7.99 for its base plan (with ads) though you can pay $11.99 per month for virtually no ads. Amazon Video costs $8.99 per month with no ads.

DVDs on Demand

Netflix began in the late 90s as a DVD-by-mail service, and the company still offers physical discs, but this is a separate subscription from what you get with regular Netflix service. You need to head over to DVD.com (a Netflix company) for that service.

Prices for DVD plans start at $4.99 per month for one disc at a time for a maximum of two discs per month (postage is included in all prices.) To get unlimited DVDs per month, but only one disc at a time, you have to pay $7.99 per month. Want more discs at a time? The most expensive plan costs $11.99 per month and lets you have two discs at a time at home with no limits on the total number per month. For an additional fee, you can even opt to receive Blu-Ray discs.

The main reason to use Netflix's DVD-by-mail service is that it expands its catalog immensely. When you can't find a particular TV show or film to stream, you can often find it among the DVDs. That said, it's always a good idea to check whether you can buy or rent the same content through Amazon, iTunes, or the Microsoft Store on a PC or Xbox instead. That way you won't have to wait for an envelope in the mail.

It's also worth noting that Netflix stripped this service from its main mobile apps. Instead, DVD diehards must use the service's dedicated app, called DVD Netflix (Android and iOS) for all their needs on the go. Subscribers can browse for content and stay on top of incoming and outgoing shipments.

Ways to Watch

With a subscription, you can stream movies and TV shows from the Netflix catalog to an ever-increasing number of devices. Nearly every mobile device, set-top box (media streamer, hub, and DVR), and smart TV supports Netflix. Roku boxes were one of the first to come to market, and Netflix still offers an excellent experience with current devices like the Roku Ultra. Even those holding on to a Windows Phone or PlayStation Vita can join the party.

Other competitors in the streaming box space, like Apple TV and the Amazon Fire Stick offer Netflix as one of the central pillars alongside their own media ecosystems. That's how important Netflix is to consumers. You can also find excellent Netflix apps for popular gaming consoles including the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Not surprisingly, Netflix has excellent apps for Android and iOS as well. We discuss these apps in more detail later on in this review. Netflix's mobile presence ensures that you always have your favorite shows and movies close at hand. Keep in mind that streaming to a mobile device is best done over Wi-Fi to avoid running up a hefty data bill. We go into more detail about these apps later in this review.

For those who want to watch on a laptop or desktop, Netflix has a desktop app in the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 users that includes a download option for offline viewing of some content. There's also an excellent web interface that closely mimics its mobile apps. Hovering over an icon on the main menu displays all the information you need to know about a movie or show without taking you to a separate page. Instead, content appears as attractive inline images on the grid that enlarge as you hover the mouse over them.

Streaming Anime

Among its many movies and television shows, Netflix has quietly built itself into an excellent source for streaming anime. It does a particularly good job with older series, such as Inu Yasha, Robotech, and Rurouni Kenshin. Little Witch Academia and other excellent oddball shows also find a home here among the innumerable Pokemon episodes. Netflix's excellent interface really shines when it comes to watching anime since it makes it easy to customize the various audio and subtitle options.

The trouble with Netflix's anime collection is the same as with the rest of its content: It comes and goes unpredictably. There's a very real possibility that a series could vanish while you're in the middle of watching it. Netflix's recommendation engine does a good job of suggesting anime based on your viewing habits, but you can also just search its collection. There's a central collection of anime, but many titles appear in unexpected places. Note that when you simply cannot find what you're looking for, there's a good chance it is available for rent on physical media through Netflix's traditional mail service.

Although Netflix's collection of streaming anime is as stable as its other movie and TV offerings (read: not very), it has one secret strength. In addition to its prestige original programming, Netflix has also brought its considerable production clout to anime as well. True fans will recall that Netflix rebooted the venerable Voltron series, to wide nerd acclaim. It has also introduced other anime series like Seven Deadly Sins. These forays are few, and may not continue, but Netflix has shown that it can be a force to be reckoned with in terms of original content.

Crunchyroll's interface is a nightmare, but it simulcasts new shows, which more than makes up for that. Its massive collection of 950 anime series—nearly 20 times the size of Netflix's catalog—helps quite a bit, too. If you want to see the latest and greatest shows, nothing can top Crunchyroll. It's our Editors' Choice for streaming anime services. Hulu, which also has a mediocre interface, has an excellent supply of over 400 classic and critically acclaimed anime shows and movies like Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, and Revolutionary Girl Utena.

Family Content, Controls, and Extras

Netflix offers a wide range of family-friendly content, as well as specific content for young children. In your account settings, you can access parental controls that restrict what content is available viewing (the options read: G and below, PG and below, and so on). You can also create specific accounts for different users, so Netflix can better tune its recommendations for whoever is watching.

Playback Settings, another feature in your account preferences, lets you choose Auto, Low, Medium, and High streaming quality. These toggles limit Netflix's streaming to 0.3, 0.7, and 3.0GB per hour, respectively, which is good to know if you have a usage cap from your Internet service provider. If you plan to stream Ultra HD content, that generates 7GB of data per hour.

Netflix for Android

The Netflix Android app lets subscribers watch any movie or television show from their Android phone or tablet. We had no trouble installing it on a Google Pixel running Android 8.1. Just download the app from the Google Play store and enter your Netflix account username and password. The app works best with a reliable Wi-Fi signal, but it can also stream over a cellular connection. The streaming itself is well optimized for mobile devices. In testing, we experienced crisp video and clear audio while streaming content over PCMag's Wi-Fi network, which hits download speeds of 50Mbps.

You navigate the app via a set of five menu icons at the bottom of the screen: Home, Search, Coming Soon, Downloads, and More. Its black-and-white color scheme looks sleek and makes the occasional splash of color stand out. Although Netflix's app uses vertical space more efficiently, it's still not as visually compelling as Hulu's app after its latest redesign.

The Home tab highlights a currently noteworthy show along with its associated category tags. Below that, it displays vertically scrolling lists of shows and movies across categories, such as New Releases, Popular on Netflix, and Trending Now. Netflix's recommendations are based on a thumbs up or down system, which produces mixed results. Search shows a list of content categories for finding new things to watch. Notable categories include Anime, Available for Download (more on that later), Netflix Originals, and TV Shows, along with all of the other typical genres. Oddly, those categories only pertain to movies; either you need to know what show you are looking for (there's a search bar at the top) or scroll through a bunch of lists to discover new ones.

Netflix includes a download option on select titles for offline viewing. The Downloads tab shows everything you have designated for offline viewing, but there's no search function here. When we tested download speeds over PCMag's Wi-Fi network, it took less than two minutes to download a 50-minute episode of Planet Earth II in high quality.

That said, there are some limitations to this feature. Notably, some titles expire after 48 hours and others can only be downloaded a certain number of times. Netflix confirmed that much of its downloadable content has a predetermined lifespan. A company representative also told us that time limits are specific to the licensing deals for each title.

Netflix recently added a Smart Downloads feature for Android devices. Once you finish watching a downloaded episode, Netflix will delete that episode and automatically download the next one. In testing, this feature worked as advertised. After I finished watching an episode of Stranger Things, the app automatically downloaded the next episode and (after the download completed) deleted the previous one. In the App Settings section, you can disable this feature entirely, change the download location, toggle the Wi-Fi only option, or delete all of your existing downloads. iOS users will likely get this feature later this year.

The More tab importantly houses the App Settings, where you can control streaming quality, download behavior, and notification preferences; it even includes a useful internal storage bar at the bottom. However, the Account link annoyingly redirects you to the web to make any changes. You can also access the Help portal or switch profiles from here.

Furthermore, Netflix implements a couple of different diagnostic tools. For example, the app shows your device's remaining storage space as well as how much space Netflix content consumes. Netflix also includes a network speed benchmark tool powered by Fast. This is a useful way to ensure that you have the required bandwidth to stream at Netflix's highest quality.

Netflix for iPhones and iPads

Netflix also offers an app for your iPhone and iPad. All you need to do is download it from the App Store and log in to your account. We had no trouble installing the app on an iPhone 8 running iOS 11. Navigating the app's interface works just as fluently as it does on Android and we had no issues streaming while connected to PCMag's Wi-Fi network.

Netflix's iPhone app looks identical to its Android counterpart, and functions in much the same way as well, though there are some minor differences. For example, the Coming Soon tab icon is missing on the bottom menu bar. As with all iOS apps, you change notification settings in the device's main Settings page, rather than within the app. There, you can also choose whether to enable Siri search and streaming over cellular data.

While iOS users don't yet have the Smart Downloads feature found in the Android app, Netflix has added Mobile Previews feature on iOS. As with to the video previews on the desktop interface, these brief video clips aim to help you find new content. Users can jump into content directly or dismiss any previews that do not appeal to them. Android users should see this feature sometime this year.

Get Your Video Fix With Netflix

Netflix's catalog may not appeal to film lovers who want to watch all the latest releases (or the classics), but it does stock an enormous array of quirky and quality TV shows, cult hits, family favorites, and trendy original programming. The addition of offline viewing for mobile devices makes it an even more valuable offering. Between its digital library and vast DVD collection, Netflix has what you're looking for, or something close. The fact that you can get commercial-free access to Netflix's vast content ecosystem at a bargain price of $7.99 per month makes Netflix a clear Editors' Choice. If you are looking for a true cable replacement, try Hulu's Live TV option or Sling TV.

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About the Author

Ben Moore is a Junior Analyst for PCMag's software team. He has previously written for Laptop Mag, Neowin.net, and Tom's Guide on everything from hardware to business acquisitions across the tech industry. Ben holds a degree in New Media and Digital Design from Fordham University at Lincoln Center, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Obse... See Full Bio

More From Ben

Max Eddy is a Software Analyst, taking a critical eye to Android apps and security services. He's also PCMag's foremost authority on weather stations and digital scrapbooking software. When not polishing his tinfoil hat or plumbing the depths of the Dark Web, he can be found working to discern the 100 Best Android Apps.
Prior to PCMag, Max wrote... See Full Bio

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